What Are Aquaponics Growbeds, And Why Are They Important?
Aquaponics systems are a great way to produce your food at home without much of a hustle. But your success largely depends on your growbeds and how well they’re working.
If you’re not getting the results you want from your aquaponics system, it may be because of problems with your growbeds. The bacteria that break down the ammonia from the fish waste need a good place to live, and the plants need a good place to grow.
By choosing the right aquaponics growbed, you can ensure that your system is running smoothly and producing healthy plants and fish. But what exactly is a growbed and why is it so important as far as aquaponics farming.
What Is a Growbed?
A growbed is a suitable container filled with growing media such as gravel, hydroton, or lava rock. A growbed is where your plants are grown and nurtured. And because it’s filled with grow media, it acts as a biofilter where the fish waste breaks down into ammonia as it passes through the growbed.
A growbed is also where the bacteria grow and break down the fish waste into nutrients available for plants to use and thrive. When water goes into the growbed, the plants take the nutrients before the water returns to the fish tank.
It’s important to have a good growbed so your plants will be healthy and your fish will be happy. The good thing is that you don’t have to buy everything if your budget is small as you can even make a DIY aquaponics growbed and still be successful.
Why Are Aquaponics Growbeds Important
Growbeds Provide Room for Plant Roots to Develop and Grow
One of the most important aspects of a successful aquaponics system is having healthy plants. This means that the plants need plenty of space to grow their roots. A good growbed provides plenty of space for the roots to spread and take up nutrients from the water.
Growbeds Help Filter the Water
Another important job of a growbed is to help filter the water. This means that the growbed can help remove some dirt and debris from the water before it returns to the fish tank. This is important because it helps keep the water clean and healthy for the fish.
A Growbed Provides Depth and Volume to Process Solid Waste
A growbed also provides depth and volume to process solid waste. This means that the growbed can help break down the solid waste from the fish before it returns to the tank. Solids passed by fish, old roots, and other solid materials are processed in the growbeds by those little wonder worms.
Some Water Storage Also Occurs in Growbeds
Since a growbed is filled with media, some water storage also occurs in the bed. This helps keep the water level up in the fish tank, and it also helps keep the water cooler. The water used to irrigate the plants is also pulled from the bottom of the tank, which helps to cool the water even more.
A Growbed Acts as a Biofilter
The next benefit of a growbed is that it acts as a biofilter. This means that the bed can help clean the water in the fish tank. The media in the bed provides a great place for bacteria to grow, and this bacteria can help break down waste products from the fish. This helps keep the water in the tank clean, and it also helps keep the fish healthy.
There's No Need for Weeding in Growbed Gardens
Another benefit of a growbed garden is that there is no need for weeding. The plants grown in the bed will cover the ground, which will help keep the weeds at bay. This makes it a great choice for those who don’t enjoy weeding or those who don’t have the time to do it.
Growbeds are Inexpensive
DIY growbeds are also effective and inexpensive. You can use various materials to create a growbed, which means that you can find one that fits your budget. You can also choose to make a simple or complex bed, depending on your needs.
Growbeds Reduces Water Usage
Another benefit of a growbed garden is that it helps conserve water. The plants are grown in a bed use less water than those grown in the ground, so you can save on your water bill. This is especially helpful during times of drought when conserving water is important.
Growbed Gardens are Versatile
Another important benefit of growbed gardens is that they are versatile. You can plant a variety of plants in them, depending on your needs. If you want to grow vegetables, you can easily do so. If you are interested in growing flowers, that is also an option. Depending on the season, you can also change the type of plants you grow in your garden bed. This makes growbed gardens a great option for year-round gardening.
Growbed Accelerates Plant Growth
Another benefit of growbeds is that they help plants to grow faster. This is because of the high-quality nutrients, and natural fertilizers received 24 hours a day. When plants have access to rich nutrients, they can grow and thrive much more quickly. A constantly regulated water source also enhances plant growth.
How Deep Should An Aquaponic Growbed Be?
Determining how deep your aquaponics growbed should depend on a lot of factors. You first have to factor in the plants you plan to grow and your budget.
Will you be growing solely leafy greens? Or do you wish to plant different types of crops? With the different zones that make up the small artificial ecosystem, the majority of aquaponic growers use a standard media bed depth of 12 inches.
With this depth, your plant’s root system will be well supported. Anything more than that is unnecessary and is considered a waste of resources.
It will also become challenging to maintain a growbed deeper than this as the bed becomes heavier and more thirsty for water. A deeper growbed is also more expensive than the shallow one because you’ll need to fill in more of your choice of media.
Our Verdict
Growbeds are a great choice for your garden. If you are looking for a way to conserve water, increase your gardening options, and have a versatile garden, then a growbed is a great way to go. Remember, the deeper the bed, the more challenging it will be to maintain. So, when choosing your aquaponics growbeds, make sure you do it wisely.
